Trials of a Shepherd
by AnimeWolfGirl9
Summary: No one ever said being the Shepherd was easy, but Sorey was determined to make the task as least stressful as it could be for his companions. Or at least, that's what he thought he was going to do. (One-shot series)


**Disclaimer: I own nothing from Tales of Zestiria. Everything belongs to their respective owners/creators.**

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Purpose

Being the Shepherd meant that Sorey had a certain amount of responsibility that he had to uphold. Their everyday life now was much different than it had been back in the mountain village he grew up in. For starters, a lot of the people he met each day were human; people just like him. Growing up around a village of Seraphs didn't feel much different than his interactions with humans; the latter just had a lot larger percent of the population.

Another fact that he hadn't thought through very well was that the legend of the Shepherd was – at least on some level – known by most of the population. This meant that a lot of people (almost) instantly knew who he was the moment they saw him.

The answer to this, which Mikleo had so conveniently come up with, was simple: to disguise his appearance anytime he went somewhere without wanting to be recognized. This was most often achieved by wearing a dark cloak they had found at a merchant's stall a few towns back. So far, the tactic had seemed to work pretty well.

Of course, if the tactic was used too often, someone was bound to catch on sooner or later. Hence, Mikleo had advised him to use the cloak only when it was important. This normally included helping to gather supplies and traveling through town (if they didn't want to be noticed).

Today, Sorey found that he wanted to be alone with his thoughts. Sometimes he felt like he had to get away from the rest of their small group for a while and think. He figured that Mikleo would understand that much and forgive him for using the cloak for such. Wanting to be alone, however, was proving harder than he first thought; especially since he was stuck in the middle of town with the hordes of citizens completing their daily tasks.

 _This is turning out to be harder than I thought._ As he waded through another wave of citizens and towards one of the branching alleyways, the brown-haired teen found that he could barely hear his thoughts. A small, good-natured sigh left him at the realization.

Back at the Seraph village, Sorey had often taken walks in the early mornings. Mikleo had often joined him, but there were some days when the former knew he needed space. When the sun was barely lighting the landscape and the busyness of the village had yet to start, he often found that was the best time to think. Of course, his thoughts had been much more childish back then, but it had formed a good habit.

Another sigh – this one of relief – left him once he got to the alleyway. The teen could still hear the sounds of chatter and footsteps from the center of town, but the tighter-spaced alleys blocked out some of the noise. He found that this was especially true the farther in he walked.

"They'll be worried if I don't go back soon," Sorey murmured as he stared at the sky, finding that the sun was just beyond its peak. Its descent would be complete in a few hours, lowering below the mountains that now hid his childhood village. His thoughts briefly wandered back; how was everyone fairing? What would they be doing now?

The teen practically knew everyone's schedule back in the village and, as he dwelled on the individual members and their daily tasks, he was interrupted by a sound up ahead. The sound was accompanied by a strange feeling, one that filled him with confusion. Alleyways were generally abandoned and – as far as he knew – he should have been the only one this far back.

 _Something… or someone is back here. I'm not alone._ The thought ran through his mind as he considered his options. He could either continue forward and possibly run into whoever was in the further alleys or he could turn around and head back to the inn. Confusion was all he felt at that moment; it wasn't like he felt any foreboding or agitation from hearing the sounds. That fact gave the teen the resolve to continue forward.

The sounds got closer the further he walked, but this time his gait was cautioned a bit. He didn't want to draw undue attention, even if he was wearing the hooded cloak. If word got out about where their group was – especially the inn they were staying at – then Sorey knew he would get a scolding. They would most likely be bombarded by the citizens if that happened.

The scraping of uneven materials – he was close enough to the sound to make it out fully – was just around the corner. There was another alley that led straight; if he took this path, then he could avoid whatever was making the sounds entirely. Still, something held him back, prodding him towards the alley leading to the right.

A strange reminder came into his mind at that moment as he stood between the two paths. In order to be a Shepherd, he had to have a pure heart. The people of this land were clearly suffering – Alisha had alluded to that fact – and that's partially why he had become the Shepherd in the first place. If he had a pure heart, then wouldn't that heart lead him to help others?

One step and then another, something guiding him forward with resolve. The brown-haired teen tentatively poked his head around the corner, not wanting to scare the sound's creator. True enough, there was a small figure at the end of the alley. The person seemed to be searching for something and – in the midst of the search – hadn't seen him yet.

Still, as Sorey stared at the small figure, it was as though his heart throbbed in pain and sadness. This particular sense had only happened a handful of times before, making it clear on what he should do.

Another few steps took him around the corner and towards the figure. The teen's footsteps must have reached the unknown person's ears; their head whipped around quickly – almost in fright – to stare at the cloaked Shepherd. As Sorey stared at the figure, he finally realized that it was a child.

The boy had slightly tousled hair that resembled the late hours of the night sky and amber eyes that should have been bright. A thin layer of dirt and mud was splattered on the boy's skin and clothing; the latter which contained many rips and tares. The look in the boy's eyes was one of fright and an intense knowledge beyond his years.

"W-who are you?" the boy at first stuttered, his voice betraying his young age, but was able to get his nervousness under control quite swiftly. His expression was guarded as his dark eyes darted around the alley, most likely searching for some sort of exit. Something about the way the child handled this situation made Sorey come to the conclusion that this must have not been the first time he was stuck in such a predicament.

"Ah… well…" the brown-haired teen wasn't quite sure what to answer with. The dark cloak he wore hid his features well, which was probably part of the reason the child seemed nervous, but his voice would probably sound younger than a first-impression would have given. In the end, he decided that using his real name shouldn't cause any harm. "I'm Sorey. What's your name?"

The boy's expression remained guarded as he observed the teen for another moment. His amber eyes widened a bit, showing some fear and shock. "You're one of them, aren't you?! You said that you would leave us alone! You can't take me away!"

At the boy's slightly defensive cry, Sorey found that the confusion had entered him once again. On top of that (and more importantly), another feeling took precedence: this kid was misunderstanding something.

"A-ah, no! I'm not sure what you're referring to, but…" The teen's head leaned a bit to the side as he looked back down the two remaining alleyways, making sure that they were alone. The action alone must have shifted the hood a bit; the boy gave him another wary look.

 _So long as he doesn't tell anyone, we should be alright._ Resolve took hold of him, causing the new-Shepherd to take a few steps towards the boy. This caused the child to back up a bit until he was against the wall. Sorey tried to ignore any sort of fear that came from the boy; it was most likely from misunderstanding either way, and – reaching his hands up – lowered the hood from his head.

The only reaction from the unknown boy was another look of surprise. He clearly hadn't been anticipating a reaction like that, but hopefully it helped. The guarded air around the boy seemed to dissipate a bit, giving the teen some confidence.

"See, I'm human too." The simple statement was meant to lighten the atmosphere and – in Sorey's mind – was a partial joke. _Up until a certain age, I thought I was a Seraph, so this is sort of ironic._ The brown-haired teen motioned to the space beside the boy. "Mind if I join you?"

The boy didn't say anything, continuing to observe as the Shepherd sat down beside him. The dark-haired child had a slight frown on his face, but some understanding seemed to come to him. "Why are you here?" the question was genuine – Sorey could feel it somehow – as the boy continued to study him.

Leaning back a bit, he looked towards the sky above them; a bright, distant blue partially hidden by the height of the buildings. "I needed some time to think. Taking a walk normally helps." His green gaze traveled to the boy, hoping not to offend him with his next question. "If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be out playing or…?"

Sorey couldn't find much else to suggest. He wasn't sure what children in this town did in their spare time, but all kids had to play at some point. He was pretty sure that if he wouldn't have had Mikleo to play with when he was younger then he wouldn't have much else to do. _Well, besides reading, but it's more fun to read books together._

Instead of answering his question, the boy turned to look at the ground, an almost-embarrassed expression on his face. His face, despite all the dirt, had a very light complexion to them, so much so that it was almost unhealthy. Still, the boy didn't look very happy about being caught. "I…" he was still hesitant, causing the teen beside him to frown a bit.

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to," Sorey wanted to help the boy, but it wouldn't be good to force an answer. "I just figured that having someone to talk to might help. We can talk about something else, if you want."

The dark-haired child didn't seem to know how to respond at first. His gaze was still cast towards the ground as he uttered a word. "Yuto."

"Hmm?" The teen made a noise, not quite thinking that he heard what was said correctly. This caused the boy to look into his gaze straight on, some spark returning to his eyes.

"My name is Yuto."

"Ah. Well, it's nice to meet you, Yuto." The boy's words had caused Sorey to smile. _We're getting somewhere. For now, I should probably avoid talking about what he was doing…_ "So, do you live in this town?"

Another bout of hesitance seemed to radiate from the boy. "Well… yeah, I've lived here for a while." The way that he spoke made Sorey think that he might not be as young as he first thought. _Over ten, so maybe twelve-ish? Instead of saying his whole life, he said that he's been here a few years. Maybe he's visiting someone because of a medical condition?_

"Are you visiting some friends here? That would be nice," The Shepherd's comment seemed to make the boy guarded again; Yuto's arms wrapped around his knees and sadness seemed to emanate from him. The teen began to think that maybe it wasn't the best thing to have said; maybe he should try redirecting the conversation so that he was opening up a bit more? "You know, I've only been here about a week, but this seems like a nice town. My hometown's really far away now, but it's smaller than this place. There's a lot more people here."

Yuto looked up at him as he spoke, a small laugh emanating from the boy at his comparison. Despite the obvious attempt at distraction, the sadness hadn't left him completely. "My younger sister and I…" the boy trailed off for a moment, almost like he was wondering whether he should continue. The brown-haired teen didn't push him to say anything more. "We moved here to stay with our grandmother when father had to go off and join the front-lines. That was four years ago and I haven't heard from him since."

Sorey's green eyes widened at the confession – the boy seemed unaware of this – and he found that he couldn't think for a moment. The teen had never known his parents and the closest he had ever had to a father had been Gramps. Still, the strange feeling in his chest at the words made him unable to speak. Instead, he gazed up at the blue sky again, trying to find the right words to say.

"Your father…" The Shepherd took a deep breath before continuing, feeling that strange emotion trying to block out the words he wanted to say. "No matter where he is, he still loves you and thinks of you often. I know that… someday, you'll see him again."

Somehow, the words caused the strange feeling to recede inside of him, filling him with peace instead. Did Sorey know for sure that Yuto's father was alright? No. The war between the two kingdoms was fierce and dangerous. He still had a feeling that the boy would see his father again, at least one more time. _If I can help in any way…_

Yuto's amber eyes widened at the words as well, a similar expression to Sorey's own moments before. A smile slowly appeared on the boy's face as he wiped away some tears. Sorey felt some of the overbearing sadness fade from the boy, causing him to smile as well.

Strangely enough, he almost felt like apologizing for how philosophical he had gotten in the last few moments. Normally, Mikleo or Lailah were the ones to impart some sort of knowledge on others. Watching the dark-haired child's cheerful expression made the moment worth it though.

 _What would cause him to rummage around in the waste disposal though?_ The question continued to burn at the back of his mind, almost prodding him to ask again. He didn't want to force the issue though; it was a pressing matter, but Yuto clearly wouldn't explain before he's ready. _Or maybe not at all. I can't expect him to open up to me on everything after we've just met._

Almost as if sensing his thoughts, Yuto seemed to grow conflicted as well. Sorey could have guessed that (thankfully) his parents would have warned him about talking to strangers, but something about the way the boy was looking at him now – almost as if in familiarity – made the teen suspect where the openness was staring to come from.

"The reason I'm here," Yuto stated, his gaze falling back to the ground. "It's complicated. Sometimes I take jobs around town and other times I look for anything that others might throw away to help with our situation at home."

The boy didn't elaborate more on their situation, but Sorey could feel that the kid was trying to help the best he could. The boy's earlier words, however, concerned him. "Is someone bothering you?" The Shepherd asked as gently as he could, not wanting to scare the boy away.

Yuto glanced at him and nodded half-heartedly. "It's complicated. Some of the kids at my school, they said that a snake-like **(1)** beast lurks in the alleyways near nightfall. They kept teasing me, saying that the man who controlled the snake would come for me if I kept searching here."

 _Oh._ Sorey wasn't sure whether the word was uttered verbally or just in his thoughts. The other kids were bothering him with some urban legend. The teen had heard about such stories back at the inn, but he didn't realize how firmly rooted the legend was connected to the town. _It's just a story but, especially for a kid, it would be easy to believe. Maybe there's a monster that is similar outside of town?_

Sorey made a note in his mind to ask the others back at the inn later. But first… "I've heard those stories too, but I don't think you have anything to worry about." At his words and smile, Yuto glanced at him again, almost hopefully. "You're helping out your grandmother and sister, so the creature should leave you alone since you have good intent in your heart."

The teen leaned back again, figuring that it was almost time to get heading back to the inn. He didn't necessarily want to leave Yuto alone, but he had a feeling that the boy would be heading home soon as well. As if to confirm this, the dark-haired boy stood up with another smile on his face.

"Thank you for taking the time to talk with me." The boy said, giving a small bow. It was the most energetic that he had seen the child, like a burden had been lifted. As Sorey stood up to leave, he felt like a similar effect had entered him as well.

"I'm glad I could help. Take care on your way home, alright?"

Yuto nodded earnestly, turning to leave but stopping as he gave Sorey one last glance. The boy studied him again, his amber eyes narrowing a bit as he tilted his head. The teen didn't think much of it until he remembered that his hood was down.

"Hey, are you…?" the boy trailed off a bit, almost unsure of how to continue. Sorey simply smiled, knowing that he had been discovered. _Oops._ He lifted the hood back over his head, giving a friendly wave before heading the opposite direction.

When he emerged back onto the main streets of the town, most of the crowds had dispersed. This was good news for him; although he found that he didn't have much to think about once the time actually came. _Well, except for one thing…_

How was he supposed to explain to everyone that they might have to jump towns a few days sooner than they expected? He was pretty sure that Yuto seemed like he wouldn't tell, but there was always that possibility. Sorey simply smiled, continuing to walk back towards the inn. He would have plenty of time to think about that on the way back.

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 **(1)** Very loosely based on Arthurian Legend's Questing Beast

Hello everyone! Happy New Year! It's been a while since I've posted anything in this archive, so I figured that - for the start of the New Year - I would give you a new fanfiction~! I've had this written for a bit of time, since before Zestiria came out I was going to write a "what if" scenario on what I thought the plot was going to be, but that didn't happen. Hence the changes with Sorey wearing a cloak for people to not recognize him as the Shepherd and such. I figured I would still include it since it could still technically be canon. ...And I was completely not thinking about Jude Mathis when I imagined Yuto... (it was entirely by coincidence, I swear!). I have another chapter written up and will probably add more to this when I get some ideas, but for now it's going to be listed as complete. Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed this and please leave me any thoughts/ideas in a review!

~AnimeWolfGirl9


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